To-Do List: The Iowa Caucus Has Arrived

To know: The Iowa Republican caucus will vote on the G.O.P. Presidential candidates today in the first official test of the 2012 campaign. A gas pipeline in the Syrian city of Homs has been blown up, with officials and opposition activists each blaming the other for the attack. And police have arrested a suspect in a Los Angeles arson wave that authorities say has caused over two million dollars in damage.

To read: In Playboy magazine, Carl Zimmer profiles Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist, television personality, and science communicator in the tradition of Carl Sagan. (Via Longreads.)

To count: Which G.O.P. candidate is winning the battle for hearts and minds on Facebook? An infographic from Socialbakers takes a look at the data. (Via The Next Web.)

To debate: At the Washington Post, Dan Balz asks: Will the 2012 G.O.P. Presidential nominee re-shape the Republican Party or will the party shape the candidate?

To view: For its “LightBox 365” feature, Time’s photo department selected one photo from each day of 2011.

To watch: Gizmodo reader Kien Lam backpacked around the world for almost a year and captured his journey in a time-lapse video.